1. Field of the Invention
The invention in general relates to the field of medical, dental and therapeutic lavage, and more particularly to a mechanized lavage system in which the pump assembly is replaceable, permitting the use of disposable and/or sterilizable pumps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lavage, or the washing of tissue, is perhaps as old as medicine itself. In the early years it consisted of the application of fluid, generally a liquid such as water, to tissue to wash away dirt or debris. In more modern times, it has become more important, and more thorough, due to an awareness of bacteria and other organisms that may cause infection. In the last several decades, mechanized lavage systems have become common.
Before proceeding to the discussion of prior art mechanized devices it will be useful to clarify terminology. The word "lavage" is used ambiguously in the literature, sometimes referring to a pulsating stream type washing or therapy, sometimes referring to a stream type of washing, and sometimes also including an aspiration function. In this document, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, "irrigation" shall mean the stream type of washing "pulsatile lavage" shall mean the pulsating type of washing or therapy, and the word "lavage" shall mean the broadest sense of the term, referring to any one of, or combinations of, irrigation, pulsatile lavage, and aspiration.
Medical, dental and therapeutic lavage systems are often used in situations requiring sterility or at least a high degree of cleanliness. For use in such situations all parts of the system which contact the lavage fluid should be sterilizable and/or easily replaceable. Optimally, these parts of the system should be disposable, since this permits replacement with sterilized parts after each use. Since the pump in a lavage system necessarily must contact the lavage fluid it is important that the replaceable parts include the pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,168 issued to Keith M. Mullins, et al., and No. 3,993,054 issued to Gordon Arthur Newman disclose lavage systems in which all portions which contact the lavage fluid are sterilizable and/or replaceable. Both these systems use a peristaltic pump, consisting of a tube impacted by a cam. In these systems, because the peristaltic tube is flexible the parts that contain the tube actually form the pumping chamber walls, and are subject to considerable stress. It has been found that these walls, especially the front door portion can yield during use with result that pump partsmay be sent flying through an operating room during surgery. A pump in which all parts which bear the direct force of the pumping action are enclosed within a housing, and at the same time the pump parts that contact the fluid are easily replaceable and/or disposable, would be highly desirable.